The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 599

Episode 599 I’ll tell you an old story. (4)

Jiselle swallowed hard.

The Forest of Demons was a legendary magical realm.

Erenes continued his explanation slowly.

“The Forest of Demons is where the corpse of the Demon God was. It is a land that is strongly influenced by that energy. So the atmosphere would have been quite different from other places.”

The people of Fenris all nodded. Even to them, the Forest of the Demons was truly a mysterious place.

It was so full of energy that it was hard to understand. Not only the monsters, but all the creatures were huge.

That wasn’t all. There was an abundance of resources that were difficult to see outside.

But all of that was because it was influenced by the spirit of the demon.

Vanessa looked incomprehensible.

“That, that strong of an energy was spreading, but no one felt it?”

“Didn’t I tell you? We can’t feel that energy. Only the Salvation Church members can. Those in the Forest of Demons have been exposed to the energy for a long time and are greatly affected.”

“Then… …was it like that before too?”

Erenes shook his head.

“Rather, it has been purified now. In the past, it was a land of death filled with black energy. Like the breath of Equidema.”

“Could people of the Salvation Church live in such a place?”

“Yes. Only those who have lived for a very long time accepting the spirit of the demon can live in the Demon Realm. Of course, only ordinary people can’t enter, but for people like you, there should be no problem entering and living there.”

People shook their heads without realizing it. I would never want to live in a place like that.

Lumina asked with a trembling voice. She had a strange experience during the previous 2nd Forest of Demons subjugation.

“Soo, the forest spoke to me and asked me to become one with it. What did that mean?”

Lumina has excellent empathy skills. At that time, she was the only one who heard such a voice.

I reported it to Jiselle and told the people around me, but no one knew the reason and just let it go.

Erenes looked at Lumina for a moment and said.

“You have talent.”

“yes?”

“It means one who can receive the spirit of the demon. Like the priests of the Salvation Church. Occasionally, people with excellent communicative abilities have been infected like that.”

“… … .”

“Be careful. That is the evil spirit’s ideology that has spread throughout the world. If you are influenced by that ideology, in the end, the only thing left in your head will be the same purpose as the Salvation Church.”

Lumina nodded with a frightened expression. Did that mean that the whispers could continue to affect her?

I thought I would have to miss out on the third forest subjugation.

Hearing Erenes’ story, Giselle felt relieved.

Now I know why the monsters in that forest were so bizarre, and why the Duke was so obsessed with the Forest of the Beast.

“The reason the Delphine Dukes targeted the Forest of Demons was because the corpse of the demon was there.”

“Yes, that is the holy land of the Salvation Church. The resurrection of the enemy is important to them, but the land is also important. They can create the Demon Realm again.”

“But why didn’t you take bold action from the beginning?”

I knew they had been scared by their mother once.

However, the Forest of Demons could have been taken over by other means.

There is no need to start a civil war.

Erenes said it as if it was nothing.

“Because you wouldn’t have been sure if it was there.”

“What? Why?”

“All the high priests of the Salvation Church died in the war a thousand years ago. The only survivors were their family members and ordinary believers.”

“Hmm, but how could they forget the land they lived on?”

Erenes chuckled at those words. Humans with short life spans had a hard time realizing how long a thousand years could be.

“If you hide your identity and wander around for a thousand years, you are bound to lose a lot. It must have been difficult to maintain your faith without any strength.”

“… … I see.”

“Rather, it is amazing that Gator was able to revive the religion with only the remaining traces. Perhaps he also gained strength because his adversary was resurrected.”

Jiselle nodded. If the demonic energy that spread throughout the world had grown stronger because the enemy had been resurrected, then it made sense why the Salvation Church had regained its power during this time.

Erenes continued, glancing at the map on the wall.

“Anyway, there are several mysterious places on this continent, like the Forest of Demons. I understand that the Salvation Church has investigated several places as candidates.”

She had been chasing the remnants of the Salvation Church for a long time, so she also learned that they had not yet discovered the location of the Demonic Realm.

But now they must have guessed, for they have been tampering all over the continent and have touched most of the prohibitions.

Except for one thing.

Because of the Duke of Fenris, I failed to even go near the Forest of Demons.

So it was natural that they guessed that the Forest of Demons was the old magic realm.

Erenes looked somewhat relieved.

“I can’t explain the spirit of the demon clearly, as it’s a story that has been passed down since the mythical times. I can only say that it’s one of the mysteries that has spread throughout this world.”

She paused for a moment and looked at Giselle.

“I know there are parts of my story that are hard to believe and logically flawed, but this much is enough for you to understand. I repeat, the important thing right now is to stop the dragon.”

Jiselle also nodded.

“Yes, many of my questions have been answered with just what you’ve told me so far. I’ll find out more detailed information as time goes by.”

‘Through my dreams.’

Erenes didn’t seem to want to go into more detail. Unless something special happens, you’ll have to find out the rest yourself.

It wasn’t something that was important right away anyway.

If there really is a rival, he will eventually show up someday. For now, we must prioritize preparing to catch the dragon.

“First, I need to meet with the Allied commanders. Let’s call a meeting. Hopefully, we can prepare quickly.”

The major Allied commanders were gathered here because the post-war processing had not yet been completed.

If I had heard the news while it was still scattered, it would have been quite a headache. Erenes had told me at a very opportune time.

Even though Giselle knew that the dragon would appear and had prepared for it, if the situation had happened earlier than he expected, the Turian Kingdom would have suffered great damage.

Elena clicked her tongue after hearing the whole story.

“It’s all because of you, brother. It’s because of you that the dragon appears.”

“What? Why? Why is it because of me that the dragon appears! Haven’t you heard me until now?”

“You said you caught a dragon before, so that’s what happened.”

“When did I do that?”

“Oh my, look at that duckling sticking out its leg. This duckling… … Well, anyway, when you fell after killing an orc, you told me all sorts of stories and bragged about slaying a dragon.”

Jiselle thought carefully about her memories. And then she thought about it… … .

– Next time, I’ll tell you the story about catching a dragon.

– Did you catch it in your dream? Do you know what a dragon is?

When I first met Elena after my regression, I was so happy that I told her stories of my exploits.

That’s how that kind of story came out.

“… … .”

“Why? Did you remember? Look at this. I said that words have become seeds.”

“… … .”

People started to murmur. How could they boast that they had already caught a dragon when no dragon had ever appeared?

People looked at Giselle with suspicious eyes. Whenever something happened, Giselle was always at the center of it.

Claude didn’t miss this opportunity. He immediately took Elena’s side.

“So why are you saying such things! The dragon really did appear! It’s all your fault, my lord!”

Erenes also said as if he found it strange.

“I don’t believe in superstitions, but it’s really a coincidence. I was bragging, and it actually happened. That’s probably why our ancestors taught us to always be careful with what we say.”

“… … .”

Jiselle was wronged. The order of events was changed because of the regression, so she caught a real dragon. That dragon is Arterion, who will appear this time.

Since I can’t make any excuses now, I had no choice but to catch him for real this time and make his boast(?) into fact.

“Let’s move quickly… … .”

To gather all the Allied commanders, you must go to the conference room in the Sardinian Castle.

Just as everyone was about to move, Alfoy, judging that the conversation was over, quietly approached Erenes.

“You really lived for over a thousand years… … right?”

“Yes.”

Alpoy’s face began to come to mind. He didn’t believe the stories about the demon or the enemy.

Because he, a great magician, cannot be swayed by such myths.

But the fact that he had lived for a thousand years was extremely tempting information.

“Who, can I call you sister?”

“… … .”

“Sister! Please let me live a thousand years too! Please!”

Alfoy was anxious. If he could live a thousand years, he could enjoy life after his time as a slave.

Seeing Alfoy like that, Erenes sighed.

What on earth has this kid been hearing all this time?

He was cursed to live in the forest of the World Tree, unable to move. However, it seems that he only heard rumors that he had lived for over a thousand years.

Claude got angry and pushed Alfoy.

“What are you doing! Don’t you know that even shit has an upper and lower level? I’ve now been extended to 632 years! Even if I live for a thousand years, I’ll have to live as a slave for more than half of that time! So I’ll go first! Sister Erenes! Please tell me first!”

“Shut up! I asked first! I’m over 300 years old now! This is all because of you!”

“Why is it my fault! It’s because you’re stupid! Who threatened you to gamble?”

“You were the one who tricked me, you little punk!”

The two began to fight fiercely. Erenes bit her lip.

I really mustered up my courage and seriously talked about my past!

She liked Fenris. She thought the experience of fighting together was special. That was why she stopped fighting with Yulien and told him about dragons.

But the ones who made my blood pressure rise that much were also Fenris guys.

“These guys are really… … .”

As Erenes’ face turned red, people began to notice. She was the type of person who would immediately strike out at Giselle and Yulienne if she got upset.

Vanessa covered Alfoy’s mouth and dragged him back. Wendy immediately subdued Claude by twisting his arm.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh! Lie down!”

“Gyaaaah! My arm is ripped off! Let me go! Woof, woof!”

Only after the brief commotion did everyone move to their seats.

But Parniel still had a cold expression. She chewed over Erenes’ words several times and compared them with what she knew.

She, too, was keeping secrets from people.

‘The one who appears in the secret tradition of the sect… … Is that you? Or is it the being called the adversary?’

An apocryphal scripture secretly handed down from the church. Not everyone can see it, but Saint Parnielle knew its contents.

There was no mention of the myth Erenes had spoken of, but there were a few records of the war that had taken place long ago.

‘Surely there is… … .’

There was a story about the ‘darkness that covered the world’ that Jerome spoke of.

And it was written that those who received the grace of light defeated the darkness.

One of them may be a saint, but it is unlikely that such a glorious event would be hidden.

So the sect interpreted the ‘those who received the grace of light’ as simply heroes protected by the goddesses, since the Apocrypha did not describe them in as much detail as Erenes had said.

‘Wait a minute… … Then why… … .’

Parniel suddenly felt a strong sense of discomfort.

The church has clearly known about the darkness for a long time. That is why they have been secretly pursuing and fighting the Salvation Church in the dark.

‘But why were you hiding the war a thousand years ago?’

If Erenes’ words are true, it means that the cult itself deleted that glorious record.

The scriptures simply stated that if darkness were to prevail again, the world would be destroyed.

He also taught us to secretly track down any remaining darkness and make sure to eliminate it.

The priests of the church did not think deeply about the reason. They simply followed it because it had been passed down that way for a long time.

Parniel was confused. No matter how much he thought about it, there was no reason to hide the truth.

‘When I first saw the Apocrypha… … I just understood that the details were hidden to avoid confusing the world.’

But when I think about it, it would have been better to leave the truth in the scriptures so that people would know their enemies and fight them.

Parniel gripped his mace tightly as he watched Erenes leave.

‘In that war you spoke of… … what on earth happened… … .’

I began to suspect that Erenes had not told me everything he knew.

‘Who are you…? Who the hell are you…?’

Parniel now felt he understood why the secret tradition had been written so cryptically.

Someone tried to keep a secret record so that it wouldn’t be known that it was a story about an old war.

The problem was that it was discovered so long ago that no one could decipher its true meaning.

Among the secret legends, the following was written:

“He who wears the crown of leaves, he who was once blessed.

The starlight that seemed to shine forever disappeared from his eyes,

With every swift step, darkness now descends.

He who heard the song of the forest, is now the seed of destruction.

The blessings have disappeared like dew drops on pointed ears.

His name is a secret that even the ancient trees fear to whisper.

He who broke the oath with a shining blade,

He who speaks lies with a silver tongue.

The once beloved child is now a sad shadow.

Poisoning the sacred grove,

He who created the Crown of Darkness with the tears of the Goddess.

The end of the world follows his footsteps. ”